How to see Pompeii and Naples in One Day

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A trip to Italy can be an amazing adventure. While many people choose Rome as their starting point, there is something to say about beginning your trip to Italy in Naples. While gritty, it is authentic, and far less touristy than other popular cities in Italy and Naples is packed full of history, art & architecture. And because Naples is so close to Mt. Vesuvius, it makes it easy to see Pompeii and Naples in one day!

How to see Pompeii and Naples in One Day

One of the keys to seeing Pompeii and Naples in one day is planning your trip carefully. We suggest that you spend the first part of your day in Pompeii and the afternoon & evening in Naples.

Pompeii can get quite warm and there is not much shade. You are better off seeing it first thing in the morning rather than in the heat of the afternoon.

How Long to Spend in Pompeii

If you are trying to decide how long you will need to spend in Pompeii, I would plan for about 3-4 hours. This should not include your time getting to Pompeii from Naples, just the time to tour the ruins on your own. If you are taking a guided tour of Pompeii, you will be at the mercy or the tour guide & schedule.

Pompeii Opening Hours

April 1 – October 31: 9am-6 pm (last entrance) and stays open until 7:30 pm. Saturday and Sunday, it opens at 8:30am.

November 1– March 31: 9am-3:30 pm (ticket office closing) and stays open until 5pm.

Closed on January 1, May 1 and December 25.

Train from Naples to Pompeii

The easiest way to get from Naples to Pompeii is by train. The Naples-Sorrento train line stops at Pompeii Scavi-Villa Misteri, which is the station very close to the excavation site.

The train from Naples to Pompeii takes about 30 minutes. You’ll find that the trains run 2-3 times per hour during most of the day.

Touring the Pompeii Ruins

On our trip, we chose to go on a guided tour of Pompeii with our family because we wanted to make sure that we got the most out of our limited time there.

Tour guides are experts at what they do. They know the key spots to see and can explain what you are seeing and why it is important.

When choosing a tour of Pompeii, look for a small tour rather than a large one. This way you can go at a more casual pace and have all your questions answered.

Pompeii is a big place. Remember that at it’s hay day in 79 AD, it had nearly 11000 people! When the eruption occurred, time seems to have froze.

When walking around what was once a sprawling city full of life, you will be amazed at how intact many things still while touring Pompeii.

While anything wooden would have burned, brick, certain ceramics and even some metal remain as they once were.

You’ll notice that the stone streets are as they were prior to the eruption and the buildings made of brick and stone are still standing. You can imagine how busy these street once were with people going about their daily lives.

While touring Pompeii, you will see inside the businesses, homes and even find frescoes still painted on the walls.

You can see how they relaxed in amphitheaters, where they purchased groceries and even where they cooked their meals.

It is a real history lesson for those that have no real sense of what life was like for Italians during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.

Bring your own water bottle. You can refill it for free from the ancient water fountains (don’t worry, they are clean).

Brings snacks as there is only ONE cafe for the entire area.

If you are travelling with children, be prepared for a lot of sexual souvenirs out in the open in the markets just outside of Pompeii. When Pompeii was unearthed, people were found in precarious positions. Those images have made their way onto calendars, sculptures and every souvenir you can imagine.

You will also want to be aware that time was frozen when Mt. Vesuvius erupted. There are bodies that are viewable while on tour.

One of the best things to do in Naples is visit the Archaeological Museum.

There you will see more artifacts from Pompeii, like ancient funeral urns, murals and stonework.

These items were moved from Pompeii and put into the museum so that they would be preserved.

You will see many authentic frescoes from Pompeii. It is amazing how well preserved some of them are and we were amazed at how colorful they remained even after the eruption.You will find an extensive collection of ancient Roman statues. This classical sculpture collection is important and impressive because they are actually Roman copies of classical Greek sculpture.

Naples Cathedral

The main Cathedral in Naples, the Duomo, is the seat of the Archbishop of Naples.

While dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta, this cathedral is commonly associated with St. Januarius, the patron saint of the city. It is said that he is the protector of the city.

The outside may look rather plain, but the inside is magnificent. Designed in Baroque-style and laid out like a Latin cross, you will find it ornate and awe-inspiring.

The ceiling of the central nave is made of wood and bears five paintings: the Annunciation, the Presentation at the Temple, the Visitation, the Nativity and the Epiphany. The pillars feature busts of the first 16 bishops of the city of Naples.

One of the most powerful of the naves in the cathedral is St. Januarius, chapel. It is said that his blood is preserved here and only brought out on certain occasions.

The Madre del Buon Consiglio

This is another Roman Catholic church in Naples that has beautiful frescoes and a replica of Michelangelo’s Pietà.

San Gennaro Guglia in Sisto Riario Sforza

Throughout Naples, you will find religious statues in the piazzas. This one was made by Cosimo Fanzago, a Neapolitan sculptor, after the eruption of Vesuvius in 1631. The Neapolitans believed (and still do now) that Saint Gennaro protected the city from the eruption.

Because Naples is a port town, you may find yourself docking here for a cruise along the Mediterranean. If that is the case, you will have no problem seeing both Pompeii and Naples in one day when you book an excursion.

For those travelling to Pompeii from Rome or coming to Pompeii from Sorrento, you will need to adjust your schedule for the commute. It is a little over an hours ride by train into the area.

Either way you choose to venture to this area, you will find that it is worth the time spent here.

Have you taken the trip from Naples to Pompeii in one day? What was your favorite part of your trip?

Why are there no excursions to Hurcuaneum? Not on cruise ships! Been to Pompeii and not sorry I went but Herculaneum looks so much more intriguing!!! We’re contemplating being brave and trying the train.

I know. We booked a trip to Herculaneum on our last Mediterranean cruise and it was canceled because not enough people signed up. That is my guess. Most people are going to Pompeii or to Naples and don’t know how amazing Herculaneum is.

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Hi, I am Kristi West, owner and content curator for Day Trip Tips. My passion for travel has taken me on adventures around the globe and my background in education lead me to develop a site that not only showcases amazing destinations, but also gives tips on how to fully experience everything the place has to offer in a limited amount of time!